Saturday, February 12, 2011

Hot Dog Business Training with Hot Dog University

You have probably heard of the Hamburger University’ that has been run by Mc Donald’s for many years. Well, now the hot dog vending industry has its own training program called ‘Hot Dog University’.

Hot Dog U offers a comprehensive training program to students wanting to know how to set up and manage a hot dog stand. The program includes modules on purchasing and setting up a cart, ordering inventory and of course, how to cook delicious hot dogs that will keep locals coming back for more.

This course includes time in the classroom going over theory as well as practical activities. Students actually get some hands on experience as they set up a stand, cook hot dogs and work a busy cart over the lunchtime rush. A tour of the Vienna Beef plant is also included. Class sizes are generally under ten students.

The only downside is that the course is held in Chicago so you may have to travel some distance. It also costs $699, making it much more expensive than some of the other hot dog business training programs that you can buy online.

For Details see the Hot Dog University Site

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Hot Dog Stand Recipe - You Can Make Yummy Stadium Style Hot Dogs Right at Home

By Laura Maness Brown

I made hot dogs the same way pretty much for years. They were always okay, but nothing to brag about. I think maybe in the back of my mind, the lowly wiener was just not important enough to warrant creative input from my imaginative culinary side. Then one day, I decided to try something different.

As a youngster, I was taught to boil the wiener in water, put it in a bun, and squirt various condiments on top. But as I grew and advanced in culinary skills, I knew there had to be a way to improve on this method of cooking a hot dog.

Things that go great with hot dogs are: potato chips, baked beans, coleslaw, or potato salad.

This method of cooking the lowly wiener is now a regular thing around my house. My family loves them, and they really are good. Here's what you'll need:

* All beef wieners (you can eat that other "stuff" if you want, we only eat beef wieners; we also prefer bun length)
* Soft buns (you want fresh buns here, not stale, although you can steam stale buns back to life if you insist on using old bread - I have other uses for old bread such as Bread Pudding with Amaretto Sauce)
* Hot dog relish
* Sauerkraut
* Diced onions
* Mustard and ketchup
* Kraft shredded mexican style four cheese blend
* Hot dog chili sauce (Castleberry's is our favorite)
* Laura's homemade cole slaw
* Butter
* Tin foil
* Crock-pot
* Cast iron skillet

Now, you do not have to do everything the same way I do it. I am letting everyone know how I do it, and you can adjust as you see fit.

Please note the hot dogs need to spend some time in the crock-pot in order to be good, and the steaming method I mention below is great. Plan properly so the dog packets get to warm and meld inside their "packet" in the hot crock-pot. I normally make the dogs and allow them 45 minutes to an hour in the crock.


About an hour before dinner, turn the crock-pot on low and let it get warm.
Heat up the iron skillet, and add a tablespoon of butter.
Fry the beef wieners in the iron skillet.
When they have a good "fry" on the outside, sort of like you get if you grill them, remove and place inside of a fresh non-stale soft bun (I am very particular about my bread being soft and fresh)
Immediately wrap the assembled bun and wiener in tin foil, sealing all edges.
Place in crock-pot.
Repeat with remaining buns and wieners.
Cover the crock-pot and leave it alone.
Heat up the chili in the microwave or on the stove.
Prepare the other condiments.
Get everything on the table, including drinks, chips, dip, whatever.
Then get out one assembled dog at a time for each diner, keeping the rest in the crock-pot with lid on to remain warm.


These warm up really great. Simply take the bun and wiener combination out of aluminum foil (do not forget this step in order to avoid a nasty microwave incident), wrap loosely in a paper towel, and microwave about 10-15 seconds. Do not overdo it, the bun will get hard.

Alternate method: I tried this once and it was even better. Place a rack in the bottom of the crock-pot before adding hot dogs. Add one tablespoon or so of water. Be careful, you do not want to have the dog packets sitting in liquid. The idea is to lightly "steam" them instead.

I usually eat two hot dogs, each made as follows:

Version #1: (ingredients are in the order used) mustard, ketchup, relish, chili sauce, cheese, onions

Version #2: (ingredients are in the order used) mustard, relish, onions, sauerkraut, homemade coleslaw

Now, a note here about slaw. There are all kinds of different ways to make coleslaw. There is also slaw mix that can be bought in a bag. I am as particular about my slaw as I am about my bread. My momma made coleslaw pretty much the same way for years, and it always tasted good.

If you've ever eaten bad coleslaw, you'll remember it. Some fast food restaurants have the audacity to CALL it coleslaw, but it is more like tasteless cardboard "stuff." Did it ever seem to you that the slaw in many restaurants is often stark white, as if it is all made entirely from the cabbage core? Makes you wonder what happened to all of the GREEN stuff.

I'll be sure to place a link to my coleslaw recipe at the end of the article, so be sure and grab that and try it with these delicious stadium style hot dogs.

I am very picky about certain things: fresh bread is one; fresh milk is another; good tasting coleslaw is important; I think the hot dog chili sauce by Castleberry's is great; I use the Kraft Mexican style four cheese blend almost daily; I want to know what is in the meat I eat. However, to each his own. Enjoy!

The difference between good and bad coleslaw is not hard to distinguish. A delicious hot dog deserves delicious coleslaw. You can get the recipe I use for homemade coleslaw and adjust it to your liking.

Now that the colder months are coming, I will be posting a lot of great cold weather recipes. I have been perfecting my Cajun Gumbo Recipe for years now, and it is beyond compare in my humble opinion. Watch for it on my website, The Rancher's Daughter, and test it for yourself. Thanks for reading!


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Article Source: Hot Dog Stand Recipe - You Can Make Yummy Stadium Style Hot Dogs Right at Home

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Preparing a Hot Dog Stand Business Plan

When it comes to starting a hot dog stand business you should take the time to prepare a business plan. The preparation of a plan is a great way to prove the viability of your business ideas to yourself as well as to other interested parties. A plan is a detailed outline of what you plan to do and what you desire to achieve with your business over the first year or two of operation.

A hot dog stand business plan should be set out formally and should consist of around 20 to 30 pages of detailed written content. Start out with a contents page to help readers navigate the report and finish up with an appendix where you can attach relevant information and supporting material. You can also attach a cover letter to your business plan if you are going to give it to someone to read.

Search for some business plan samples online and you will get an idea of the common sections that you should include. You can even find some examples of business plans specifically for hot dog cart businesses.

Set your hot dog cart business plan out into sections. These should include an executive summary and sections on marketing, operations, management and financial analysis to name just a few.

A plan will help you to plot a course towards success and give you a benchmark to measure your progress against. Start putting together a business plan for your hot dog stand today.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Deciding on Hot Dogs for your Stand or Cart Menu

Hot dogs are, of course, the most important product for a hot dog stand vendor. How do you put your hot dog menu together? Here are some tips on menu variations:

1) Offering basic frankfurters is great but these days customers may request Polish sausages, kosher hot dogs or vegetarian dogs. Listen to your customers and adjust accordingly.

2) In general you can’t go wrong with top brands like ‘Vienna Beef’ although local suppliers may also have some great products to offer.

3) Offer double dogs for meat lovers and hot dogs without a bun for those on low carb diets.

4) There are many different regional styles. Find out how to prepare a ‘Chicago style’ or ‘New York style’ and consider promoting these as a way of making your stand unique in your area.

5) Hot dogs can be boiled or grilled.

6) Don’t forget that buns are a key ingredient too. Look for fresh, locally sourced products.

7) Combinations of toppings and sauces are endless. Find out what toppings are permitted under your license. Some toppings or sauces are popular in different states such as ‘red onion sauce’ in New York.